Living Up
by Phantom Phoenix Queen
Summary: Sequel of sorts to "Poison". Ever since his transformation, Steve, Captain America, has wanted to truly live up to his title. When Loki is forced to live in New York with the Avengers, Steve spots the chance to change the god's life in ways he never thought he would. Stoki.


**Summary: Sequel of sorts to "Poison". Ever since his transformation, Steve, Captain America, has wanted to truly live up to his title. When Loki is forced to live in New York with the Avengers, Steve spots the chance to change the god's life on ways he never thought he would. Stoki. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or the characters.**

**Authors note: Big thanks to xCallMeLogiex for inspiring this continuation of "Poison". I hope this does your idea justice! Enjoy and as always leave some feedback. **

Steve remembers a time when picking on the weakest members of society was acceptable. He remembers when people would turn a blind eye to the abuse of a helpless boy, internally thankful it was someone else instead of them.

In time, Steve has come to realize that his beloved 1940's were flawed. And in this way, he has the expectations that in the all the years he has spent frozen, the world has matured. He was hopeful, at first; mostly due to the naive thought that since there are a whole slew of superheroes now- the Avengers, they call themselves, him and six others- this outdated bullying has been put to a stop. But soon enough he begins to question the reassuring words from Tony Stark, the ones he mutters in Steve's ear everytime they pass something questionable happening on the street. He can't shake the feeling that he is the hero, and that no matter what Stark says, there must be some misdoings somewhere that he can fix.

Steve can pinpoint the first time he began to doubt the words of Tony Stark.

It is when Thor arrives at Avengers Tower, pitiful little brother Loki in tow. He doesn't really remember what words Thor was weaving for the rest of the Avengers, but he does remember every one of Loki's actions. It begins with the nervous, pitiful look he gives the team as he is all but dragged into the room. The way he curls into himself comes next, and how he flinches whenever someone's sneering gaze brushes over him. It continues on to a light trembling, that Steve is certain he sees only because he is looking- and he's looking hard, now. He's never felt anything but anger and remorse towards this once valiant god, but now all he wishes to do is hug Loki's pain away. Perhaps, he thinks, it is because Loki reminds him so much of himself, back before he was Captain America, the face of justice.

He thinks back to a time when his daily routine always included being pummeled in some back alley; being beaten half conscious by men older and stronger than him in a pathetic, last chance attempt to feel good about themselves by breaking someone's spirit. The only difference he can see is that Loki really has been broken, unlike Steve. At first, Stever wonders why he doesn't strike back. But then he gets the inkling that Loki can't win this, and perhaps he knows it too.  
It is only after Thor leaves that things begin to come undone. Apparently, in the time Steve has spent watching Loki instead of listening to Thor, the thunder god has relayed that the Allfather has declared that his youngest son shall spend his punishment on Midgard, living in Stark Tower. Steve can't help it when his heart drops a little, feeling a thousand times heavier at the sight before him. Loki is standing there, like an animal at an over crowded zoo, curling into himself and looking tremendously scared and lost. He flinches and takes a step back as one by one the remaining Avengers leave. First to go is Clint and Natasha, with a departing biting comment from Clint that Steve has not heard, nor cares to hear. Last is Tony Stark, who looks over his shoulder to mumble an annoyed "go down the hall, take a left, then abother left, fourth door on the right" before strutting off to his lab.

Then it is only Steve and Loki in the room, and Steve realized he has not felt so awkward and unprepared as he does now in a long while. He tries to inconspicuously watch Loki from the corner of his eye, and he sees the trickster look around hesitantly before he dips his head back down and takes the first wobbling step towards his predetermined destination. A part of Steve snaps at this, and inside he knows that Loki is one of the poor souls that needs his help. So with determination he dones a warm, caring look and reaches out to grasp Loki's arm. The reply is in the form of a gasp, and a pair of wide viridian eyes gaping up at him. The reassuring look that he plasters on his face becomes more absolute at this, and he waits for Loki to calm down and realize that Steve means no harm before speaking.

"Hey there, Loki. I'll show you to your room, alright? It's nice to have you here." And then Loki is nodding hestitantly and they're walking to his room, and Steve is prattling on in that mother hen way of his so that Loki stops being scared.  
"I don't spend much of my time here, I have an apartment a little ways away. I bought it once I was unfrozen. Stark Tower just isn't home like, and I need a really homey place to come back to, you know? You're welcome to come whenever you want. I'll take you some day, if it strikes your fancy."  
This last sentence takes them both by surprise. But Steve hides it well, because he doesn't want to hurt Loki's feelings, unlike the mentioned mischief god who stutters something unintelligible before nodding.

"T-thank you, uhh... Captain Rogers."

"Steve is fine," he makes sure to shoot Loki with another winning smile at this, "no need to call me something so formal, we are friends after all."

By this time, they have reached the room, and Steve pushes open the door for the resigned deity. They exchange goodbyes, and then Steve is gone and Loki is alone in the huge room. He slides down the wall beside the door to the ground and hugs his knees to his chest. A part of him is sad, because he knows these months will be a living Hel.

But a bigger part is happy, because Steve called him a friend. And, although he will never admit to it, Loki has never had a friend.

After that incident, in which Steve decided Loki needed someone greatly, the good captain took to spending the majority of his time at the tower. He arrived early, around eight, every morning and made breakfast for the team, as he would normally do if he was there. And after the Avengers had filtered out of the room to attend to their own business, Loki would shyly walk in, only to be greeted by some friendly words and a plate full of pancakes. Steve would sit beside the lonely little god and talk to him; he probed answers from the man just as much as he himself talked, asking what Loki planned to do that day, and if he was feeling better that morning. It really was no secret to Steve that the boy felt un-welcomed and frightened, and so he took it upon himself to change that, to give Loki a reason to look forward to waking up in the morning. On the rare occasions that Loki would venture in at the wrong time and be faced with the cold, unrelenting gazes and whispers from his brother's teammates, Steve would be especially welcoming. He would serve Loki first, and sit beside him as he curled back into himself, comforting words and cheery topics ready at hand.

But no matter what Steve did, he couldn't prevent the others constant torture of him. They mocked Loki, refused to include him, belittled him, both behind his back and to his face. And because of this, what little progress the trickster had made quickly reverted back. He rarely ventured out of his room, and he only spoke in soft, subdued tones. But sometimes, when the others were being cruel, Steve would see a spark of defiance flame within Loki's eyes, and he knew that the boy must have some comeback ready, one that he did not dare use.

Then came the day Steve had dreaded. Shield had called him in on a special mission in Italy. Normally happy to save those in trouble, this time he was bitter and upset about leaving behind his lonely friend. He felt Loki needed him more than ever at this point; of course Shield would call on him now. He loathed leaving Loki alone, inadvertently forcing him to bear their jests and cruelties alone, and he dared not think of what it would be to the god's fragile self esteem.

So with bated breath he said goodbye to Loki. He let his apologies slip every other sentence until finally Loki gleaned a happy-go-lucky expression and told Steve to stop worrying about him. But he couldn't, because he had come to cherish Loki, and he couldn't bear the thought of him crying alone in his room every night, replaying the days insults in his head. For he knew Loki cried, he heard it when the trickster thought no one was around to listen in through the door. Either that, or he figured no one cared enough to bother about him.  
But Steve did. Because, on the day that he left for Italy, he did not miss the scared look and lone tear that marred Loki's face as he watched his only friend depart.

Steve's worst memory is the one he created on returning home to New York. Immediately after exiting the Shield quinjet, he had rushed to the Avengers Tower in an eager, yet still nervous, mood to see Loki. When he arrives to an empty foyer, he expects the team to be holed up in the kitchen, bickering over food that hasn't been cooked yet.

And that is exactly where he finds them, but there is an added bonus that makes him see red and boils his blood with rage. He opens the double doors just as insults begin to fly through the air, directed towards his beloved Loki- who as of the moment is feebly spreading mustard on a sloppily thrown together sandwhich whilst trying to hold back tears. It takes Steve a moment to find his words, mostly because he is so utterly taken back by the ferocity these insults hold, and how, even when they are not directed at him, they cut to the bone.

The moment Tony flings an insult at the trembling god about "never being loved, because monsters do not deserve such things" Steve snaps. He finds himself gasping in appalled horror.

"What are you all- leave him alone! All of you! Knock it off right now!"

The noise stops at this, and the people he sadly calls his team turn to stare at him with shocked faces. Loki, however, is the only one he cares about at this moment, and when he looks at him he sees a mixture of pain, relief, hopelessness and anger shoved into his eyes. But before Steve can say anything, anything at all to dry the unshed tears in Loki's eyes, the trickster is running away back to the safety of his room.

It is only when Steve's heart drops and breaks at the choked noise the silvertounged boy makes as he leaves that he unleashes his anger at the team. He doesn't know what he's saying exactly, the rage is too blinding, but he is screaming at them about heroes and morals and how ashamed he is to call them his teammates. His blue eyes turn icy and when he is done, the rest of the inhabitants slink shamefully away to brood as Steve starts in on making another sandwhich. He throws Loki's in the trash, and recreates the same thing in an artful way that is piled high with the potato chips he knows Loki loves.

He stops before he knocks on Loki's door, slightly scared that the trickster will blame him for this, as he is the one who left Loki alone and vulnerable. But he gathers his courage and knocks anyway, because he knows Loki's dying inside right now, and the least he can do is keep his promise to be a friend.

Loki is opening the door then, face distraught but still hauntingly beautiful even with his disheveled hair. Steve holds out the sandwhich sheepishly, trying to compose his thoughts.

"I made this, for you. I noticed you left yours there, in the kitchen." He runs a hand through his hair. "I would've come sooner, but I was yelling at the others."

He can see tears infiltrate Loki's grassy green eyes as he takes the sandwhich and goes to close to the door. He mutters a small, barely there "thank you" in what Steve knows is poorly spoken gratitude for much more than a sandwhich. That's when he knows it's bad, because Loki's silvertounge fails him when treated with kindness. Something in Steve compels him to push the door back open gently, and Loki gasps in surprise.

And all of a sudden, Steve is hugging him tightly, and Loki is crying into his shoulder.

"Let it out, Loki, I'm here, I'll listen."

Steve hit the punching bag hanging from the ceiling harder and harder with each passing memory. His anger, pent up from months without release, driving him to attack the inat image object with all he had in a blinding rage. The bag stutters and creaks, then bursts free from its confines as a last strike brings it to its metaphorical knees. He huffs, brushing a bead of sweat from his brow as the anger melts away and he can think clearly again.

"Steve, sweetie, it's time for dinner."

The anger is totally gone at these words, and Steve turns to see a glowing, confident Loki Laufeyson standing in the doorway to the gym. The captain smiles back and strides to the door, kissing the god chastely on the cheek before taking his hand.

For the first time in a long while Steve is utterly at peace. He has done it, has lived up to his title, and has found love along the way.


End file.
